Developer sees spots Author: DAMON CRONSHAW LAKE MACQUARIE Date: 13/03/2008 Publication: Newcastle Herald
CHARLESTOWN'S parking crisis is to be tackled with a 300-space car park at netball courts.
The parking crisis emerged after work began on Charlestown Square's redevelopment last month.
The shopping centre's owner, General Property Trust, will provide the car park for its retail workers at netball courts in Bula Street, Charlestown, a Lake Macquarie City Council internal memo said.
A shuttle bus will take staff on the two-kilometre trip from the car park to the shopping centre.
The memo said the car park would be operating within a fortnight.
The Herald reported last week that residents and businesses wanted action taken to ease the parking crisis.
Under a council condition, GPT must subsidise the bus fares of shopping centre staff who switch from driving to work to catching the bus.
The memo included a car parking strategy for the shopping centre redevelopment, which GPT contractor Bovis Lend Lease provided.
GPT has budgeted to spend $900,000 on the netball court parking plan and $72,000 on subsidising bus travel, the strategy said.
The memo said GPT's plan for a 284-space temporary staff car park on an old school site opposite Charlestown Public School had been shelved.
But GPT will try to develop the site for parking for contractors, despite heritage concerns relating to old buildings on the site.
The strategy said Charlestown Square's southern car park had been reduced from 1289 spaces to 676 spaces, but the northern car park had 1081 spaces.
The council is working on a parking study for Charlestown, due to be complete in six months.
The study will consider parking demand and patterns in the CBD and the need for increased parking in the short, medium and long terms.
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